Colin, the Ninja Chef

How do you create a menu using premium ingredients and yet keep your average price per dish at just under $20? One way is to cut away overhead and manpower costs.

That's exactly what my friend Colin did.

If one could get away with dragging some burners to the middle of the sidewalk and setting up shop, I'm half sure he would have done that, at least at the beginning. Instead, he moved into the premises of B Bakery on Bussorah Street. Serendipitously, B Bakery closes on Sundays and at 6pm on weekdays, giving Colin free reign over the kitchen for Sunday brunch and dinners from Monday to Wednesday.

He opened shop quite a while back and I've been meaning to head down but somehow never did. I finally made it a point to get my ass there for the half year anniversary of ZT and me. I should have gone sooner.

I first met Colin at the Brown Sugar Bistro. He was helping his friend Kelvin, the owner of the now closed Le Figue, for a private engagement. Kelvin was there as a favour to the owner Yuan who was having issues with his chef. That was back in 2007 and if I recall correctly, Colin stayed there for a while after and that's how we got to know each other. Some time later, I helped him for a lunch function at the now defunct Les Brasserie on Club Street. I burned his strawberries for dessert :(

After that, he got married and we only kept in touch via the odd text or facebook msg. We met again when he joined the spanking new Pamplemousse in Dempsey. Then he stepped away from a respectable position and went out on his own.

In his own words, moving to B Bakery was the right thing to do because he finally had a humble place to call his own and where he was free to express himself. Cooking is artisanal to him and I respect him tremendously for sticking to his guns. For the same reason, I think he wouldn't be too happy calling him a ninja rather than an artist. But that's what he is - a bad boy rebel who does things his own way.

Some days at B Bakery are better than others. Today, when I walked in, the 20 seat dining room was empty. The location and the lack of awareness is definitely a reason for this but it shouldn't be this way. IAmArtisan, is a gem of a find. I don't claim to be an authority on food but I have eaten quite a bit in my short life, to the point that I am rarely impressed. Don't get me wrong, I'm not playing his tune because he's my friend. I can foresee a whole host of problems if they got more than 3 tables simultaneously because it's just him in the kitchen and his wife Rose handling front of house. I also didn't like every single thing about the food. BUT what he let me experience today was a real and proper meal. Dining as it should be, leisurely and of excellent quality.

The menu changes weekly but I've observed that Colin keeps his favourite main ingredients on each edition of the menu. Look out for the beetroot salad which will change the way you think of this muddy root. He also brings in fresh sardines from Europe but as well executed as this dish was, I'm not a fan of fishy fish. What I thoroughly enjoyed was the Port Nicholson cheese and his rendition of carbonara.

Don't take my word for it. Go try it for yourselves and be wow-ed.

IAmArtisan
B Bakery
15 Bussorah Street

Tuesdays to Saturdays - Dinner
Sundays - Brunch

La Broche: Sergi Arola

La Broche or The Clasp in English

While working at the Brown Sugar Bistro, i had the chance to work with Chef Kelvin Lee, he was the former Executive Chef of the Fullerton Hotel and had just left the post of Chef de Cuisine of the San Marco's Group. He was giving Yuan a hand while in between jobs and when he heard that i was heading off to Europe, he insisted that i visit La Broche. He had worked there under Sergi Arola and described the kitchen to me in full detail.

This 2 star Michelin Chef had spent 2 million Euros on the refrigeration system alone. He has 3 separate walk-in units, 1 for fish, meat and vegetables. The unit for fish had a special mist system that keeps live fish alive for a few days. The restaurant has it's own backup generator to keep these refrigeration working in case of a power failure. Talk about going overboard.

Of the handful of important restaurants in Madrid, no less than 3 are powered by the creative wizardry of Catalan chefs; Ferran Adria at the Terraza del Casino, Santi Santamaria at Santceloni, and Sergi Arola at La Broche. Since La Broche opened in February 2000 in the Hotel Miguel Angel just off the Paseo de la Castellana, Arola's restaurant has become one the hottest places to see and be seen in.

Ferran Adria was Arola's mentor and boss at the famous El Bulli, home of molecular gastronomy, on the Costa Brava. He has passed on his almost alchemical fascination with transforming textures and extracting essences, so there are times when Arola's cooking requires you to be suspended in disbelief. Some of his work almost defies description, think sea and land snails roasted in lard, combined in a kind of crazy warm salad with miniature violet potatoes (the latest fashion from Peru), capers, tiny marinated onions and chanterelle mushrooms, all arranged on a square of fine phyllo pastry. This is a surrealist creation worthy of that other Catalan master, Salvador Dali.

Anyway, i had my reservations there sorted out even before i left. This meant an extra stop in Madrid that i hadn't planned for. I managed to wrangle lodging with my godsister who was visiting family there while on exchange so i took her along for lunch.

This was the first time i went to such an atas atas(societe haute) place without my mum/sister so i did feel a bit out of place. Hell, the wait staff were much better dressed than i was. Thankfully i was with my godsister. We do crazy things together all the time so her presence gave me a boost of courage.

When we were seated, our server rolled up this trolley full of bottles which i thought was whiskey but turned out to be olive oil, at least 15 different types of extra virgin. He asked for our preference and i gave him a really dumbfounded look in return. I thought i had haute cuisine figured out in general, i know that extra virgins do come with varying flavours but come on. To actually ask us to choose which ones we wanted? I recovered after a moment and asked for something light for my godsister and one more earthy for myself so we could share.

After that he came and gave us 3 different types of bread, which i forgot to take photos of. Speaking of photos, we were in a really swanky restaurant but i was a student about to fork out nearly a hundred and fifty Euro a head for lunch. Boy, was i gonna take a photo of everything.

Vanilla, Spanish Cheese & Red Pepper salts along with Butter for the bread

This was the first of the Tapas set that comes with any order and the empty bowl was where the balsamic vinegar(5 choices) was poured. I failed to take a photo of the nifty tableware they used for the other bread and olive oil.

Flat Breadsticks with Pesto, Tomato Concasse & Parmesan Aioli

The 2nd Tapas item to come were these breadsticks. Nothing special about them but the dips were really out of this world. Sergi Arola is known to pay very fine attention to detail and i know it sounds weird but i could have sworn i was eating liquid Parmesan. That was how well blended the dip was.

Jambon with Smoked Catalan Cheese

I feel really silly now that i didn't bother to ask what ham and what cheese was used.

Potato Fritatas with Ajo Aioli

My first thought when i read this on my menu was that it was going to be a stearic and oleic overload but i was happy to be wrong. The pommes de terre were crispy and not at all oily and the mayonnaise was light on the tongue.

Anchovy with Apple and Celeriac Reduction

This dish was exquisite. I don't even like anchovy but this was really something else. The fish melted in my mouth and the reduction was really in harmony with the flavour of the fish. It was also the last dish of the Tapas set.

Tagliolini on a bed of Morel with Parmesan Cream

This is where it really got good. The purpose of the trip was to get a real immersion into the cuisine and little did i expect to find the BEST pasta i have ever eaten in Madrid. I had really good and satisfying pastas in Tuscany later on in the trip which were more value for money but this miserably small portion is unrivaled in terms of taste alone. I don't have the vocabulary to describe the taste sensations they bestowed upon me. Even my godsis who kind of likes everything she eats was left stunned for a moment. The only word i know that suitably describes this is 'orgasmic'. Sometimes i have wet dreams of successfully recreating this dish but each time i wake up, i know it's not a possibility. Still, i'll try it out one day.

Cheese Risotto with Sea Cumcumber

This dish was really good too but really paled in comparison to the tagliolini. A method of cooking sea cucumber that i'd never seen before.

Tataki de Atun Rojo

After the primeras placas were polished off, the main courses were served up. We had the Red Tuna Tataki and the Roast Beef.

Roast Beef with Duck Foie Gras Ice Cream

The beef was simply heaven. Tedious to eat cos i didn't wanna ruin the presentation like the barbarian i am but it was really good all the same. May sound odd to have a duck liver ice cream with it but it made sense to me. Foie Gras should be eaten at room temperature and since the beef was piping hot, it's genius to have the foie gras cold. Foie Gras and beef are a match made in heaven as evidenced by it's popularity in the upscale burger joints that now dot our island.

Sweet Endings: Assorted Handmade Bonbons, Macarons and Truffles

We received a platter of sweets for dessert. A perfect way to end the perfect meal. Those Michelin guides really know how to do their job. I tried making reservations at the Fat Duck too but there were no vacancies for the dates i had. Just as well, i doubt i'd have been able to afford a 120 Pound degustation there.

Happily Sated =)

I went into the kitchens and met the Chef himself but was too shy to ask for a photo with him. Something i'll regret till the day i go back for another lunch there.

Happy Eating!

La Broche

Calle de Miguel Ángel 29-31
28010 Madrid, Spain
+34 913 993 437

Conventional vs Electric vs Induction

I'm talking about hobs here, conventional or radiant hobs being the oldest technology and induction cooktops being the new kid on the block.

Conventional hobs burn a fuel, usually liquefied petroleum gas which comes in the huge compressed cylinders delivered to your home by the friendly union gas or esso uncles or natural gas if your house is hooked up to the power gas network. I have 2 issues with gas hobs, the 1st being lack of control and the 2nd being the very fact that it isn't very environmentally friendly.

At home, I used to have problems because i could never get my griddle hot enough to sear my meat cuts properly, this is an extremely important step when preparing roasts and tataki dishes. I insisted on getting one of those high pressure zhi char burners when i moved to my new house but ended up burning most things to hell and back with it. At work, i had similar problems. If i wasn't burning the berries i was trying to saute, then i would definitely be toasting my arm while reaching for the pans on the inner burners. That's one reason why chef jackets are supposed to be long sleeved, to protect your forearm from radiant heat and spillage. I'll admit that it's probably my own lack of skill that results in the burning but that still doesn't change the fact that i cannot serve out burnt crap.

burning off the joy juice in a red wine reduction

My only experience with electric coil hobs was in Europe. I think they have the impression that piping or storing gas was a safety hazard and many places are so old that induction cookers weren't invented yet or perhaps too expensive to install. Anyway, the studio apartment i stayed in while in Munich was really tiny and the kitchenette which was by the door had 2 electric hot plates which took forever to heat up. Boiling water soon followed this routine, i'd get up from bed and crank the hot plate to max, fill a pot of water, put it on, have a bottle of weissbier dunkel then proceed to take a dump. After which, my water would just be coming on to a gentle boil. Magnificent... Well, i got used to it after a while and churned out some pretty decent dishes.

mushroom ragout with freshly grated parmagiano

pork schnitzel, potato mousseline and rucola aglio olio

truffled eggs

hokkien mee

I had to sms my best friend all the way back in Singapore to ask him if hokkien mee had bean sprouts because i forgot. Turns out that there are bean sprouts in the dish but i left them out because they cost a whopping 5.50 Euro a kg there which is more than a hundred times the price here at home.

Finally we come to induction hobs. This is without a doubt the kitchen technology of tomorrow. When choosing hobs for the kitchen at the Screening Room, i saw a demonstration of a commercial induction hob bring 3 litres of water to a full boil in less than 5 minutes. I swear, it was love at first sight. The efficiency of induction hobs is also unparalleled, not only does it use electricity that can be generated from renewable sources, it can also be up to 84% efficient as compared to gas burners which are only about 40% efficient.


So what makes this baby tick? Here comes the good part, as an undergraduate reading materials science, i can say the following with great authority ;). The underlying principle of induction cooking is magnetic hysteresis. An induction cooker element is basically a high power, high frequency electromagnet that generates a finely tuned electromagnetic field in the region of space surrounding it(1). When a ferromagnetic cooking vessel is placed in this field, heat energy is induced in the vessel through hysteresis which is a measure of resistance of a material to magnetization(2). It's basically the same concept as an electric heating coil but induction cooking uses magnetic resistance instead of electrical resistance to generate heat. The heat created is transfered to the contents of the vessel(3) and nothing outside the vessel is affect by the field(4).

This results in a few noteworthy points:
- Heat changes are instantaneous making induction settings very precise.

- The heat is generated in the cooking vessel itself and hence the hob only gets as hot as the pot.

- Only ferromagnetic materials can be used on induction cookers i.e. cast iron, some stainless steels and a few magnetic ceramic materials. Pyrex, aluminium and copper cannot be used.

- Nothing outside the vessel is affected by the field. This implies cool stovetops and cooler kitchens. No more sweat dripping into your food!




The loss of an open flame does mean that you lose ability to char foods but this can be done in an oven. As for Asian dishes that need the 'wok hei' like fried rice and hor fun, my personal solution would be to have a seperate standalone zhi char burner specifically for that.

I only know of one restaurant that uses induction hobs and that is in the Western kitchen at the Top Table at the Temasek Culinary Academy. They chose induction for safety reasons.

The Top Table

Temasek Culinary Academy
Block 31, Level 3

Operating Hours
Weekdays (During term time): 11.30am - 2.00pm (last order)
Saturday, Sundays, Public Holidays, Vacation, Test and Exam Period: Closed

Phew.. What a hell load of typing that was.

Till next time!